LaLu week 2016
by nikoneko123
Summary: Day 1: Aquarius, Day 2: Devilish, Day 3: Dream, Day 4: Sparks, Day 5: Manga, Day 6: Games, Day 7: Prey. Here we are again! The first Lalu week of 2016! Sorry I've started late, but it should be worth it... After Tartaros, Lucy was an emotional wreck. But can a certain Lightning munching slayer pull her back from the edge? All rights and ownership to Hiro Mashima!


**Aquarius**

For once, the town of Magnolia was silent. Their residential noise makers, the Fairy Tail guild, had once again suffered a crippling blow from the final dark guild of the Balam Alliance. Smoke partially obscured some of the night sky, and the smell of burning still hung in the air.

On one street overlooking the canal, there was a wide, open window, and staring out was a slender blonde woman. Her hair was a mess and a smear of dirt still covered one cheek. Up and down her arms were bruises from the fight against Tartaros, and she didn't seem to notice the cold permeating her body.

Lucy stared at the sky, unable to feel the chilled caress of the wind against her numb skin. She was knelt on her bed before the window, still in her pyjamas. Beside her on one side, was a crumpled, ink-blotched piece of paper, and on the other was her collection of keys.

She still couldn't believe what she'd managed to decipher from the letter hours before, and had sat there for the entirety of the day, re-translating what he'd written; praying she'd made a mistake. Hoping that he'd slipped when writing in that scribble of his, changing the meaning of a word unintentionally. But there was no mistake. She knew that now. He was gone. They were gone. So many people she loved, had just disappeared from her life in succession.

'Aquarius…' She whispered, her eyes blurring as she traced the familiar constellation. Sniffing, she raised her fist and scrubbed away the tears, before dropping it to her lap and loosening her grip. There in her pale hand sat the snapped key of the water spirit. It seemed to have lost the golden glow that made it magical, the colours now dull, and the edge a sharp point against her skin. It had stabbed her already, but she didn't care. She was numb.

Natsu, Happy, Aquarius… most of the guild had dispersed after Master announced the disbandment. No. It wasn't just a guild to her. It was her home. It was her safe place, the only location she felt loved and happy. It was her heaven. There, she'd laughed, cried, bled and healed. There, she was part of something more than just a group of mages, she was a member of a family… a family they'd chosen to make and become.

She was lost again. A feeling she hadn't had since meeting Natsu and Happy in Hargeon all those years ago. It made her feel empty. Broken. Everything seemed to have lost its appeal. The world had gone grey in her eyes. Not only had she lost another family, but she'd become what she hated the most of all. She'd broken her promise. She'd sacrificed one of her spirits. One of the only spirits who'd seen her at her most vulnerable, at her worst… the one who'd pulled her out of despair with a splash of water and a few harsh words paired with a rough one armed hug. She'd killed the woman who had become her mother after Layla passed away.

Aquarius was there for her when she'd had her first crush. One of the sons of the gardeners. He was funny, and always winked at her playfully as he lugged around branches behind his father. Aquarius had been there, to advise her, scold her, encourage… and then comfort her after her Father had seen the way she giggled at him and had both father and son escorted from the property.

When she'd turned thirteen, and woke one night to find herself lying in a pool of blood, Aquarius was there to clean her up and explain what was happening to her. She was the one who taught her about boys, make up… all those things Layla would have done had she survived.

'I'm sorry… come back–'Her voice broke on a hiccup as tears slid down her face. She seemed to collapse forwards, resting her head against the window sill, her hair shielding either side of her face and slightly warming her skin. Her fist tightened around the broken key, the jagged edge digging into her palm so hard it drew blood once again, creating one more puncture wound to join the several others already there.

'Forgive me. Please… forgive me…' Her voice was muffled as she pressed her head into her folded arms, the breeze running through the tangled strands of her hair.

She sat there for what felt like hours, after her tears had run dry and her throat became pained from her uncontrollable sobs. Slowly, she sat up and fell backwards, staring out of the window emotionlessly, before clenching her jaw and shaking her head.

'You can't be gone… you wouldn't leave me Acky.' She smiled up at the constellation that winked in and out of sight as streams of smoke crept across the sky.

Slowly she lifted the shattered key and held it before her, the colourless image in the handle of the key reflecting the stars above.

'I am linked to the path to the world of celestial spirits, now… O spirit, answer my call and pass through the gate. Gate of the Water Bearer I open thee, Aquarius…' Lucy stared at the key as she pumped her magic into it, ignoring the lack of response and instead repeating the chant.

'Gate of the Water Bearer I open thee, Aquarius!' She forced her magic into the metal, sitting upright and clutching the key in both hands, cramming as much of her magic as she could into it.

'Gate of the Water Bearer! I open thee! Aquarius!' Her voice raised, till she was shouting, her magic swirling around her aggressively. 'Aquarius!' She closed her eyes, focusing on forcing her magic into the key.

Suddenly, she felt arms wrap around her from behind. She shook in his arms, tears once again slipping from her eyes as she continued to pump her magic into the key.

'Aquarius… I open thee.' Loke's arms tightened around his master, hugging her to his chest as she broke apart in his arms. He knew she'd wanted to be alone, but when Aquarius barged into his house and told him to go see her, he knew Lucy was hanging on by a thread. Aquarius couldn't feel her magic any more, but she had an innate sense for when Lucy was in danger, much like he himself had.

'Lucy, it's okay…'

'No! She… she can hear me. I can bring her back… I brought you back so I can do it for her too-'

'Lucy…' He said, hugging her freezing body to his warmth as her magic reached its limit and petered out, till the only noise in the room was her quiet sobs.

'Forced Gate closure, Leo the Lion.' Loke desperately tried to fight against the force that pushed him back through his gate, but it was impossible. She wanted him gone and he couldn't do anything to go against her. All he could do was watch over her, the same as her other spirits.

Lucy stared down at the key, exhaustion making her sway on her knees.

'You can't be gone Acky… You've always been there for me, you can't be gone now when I need you most. Natsu's gone, the guild's gone… I'm alone again Acky.' She took a deep breath, before hugging the key to her chest, and leaning forward so her head rested on the window sill once more. Within minutes, she was asleep, the key clutched tightly in her fist and a dribble of blood making its way down her arm.

Laxus rolled crammed his clothes into his knapsack, annoyed at Gramps for springing this crap on him. He could have told Laxus about his plans so at least he didn't have to look so surprised. He was lined up to be the next guildmaster, yet he'd been kept in the dark just as much as the rest of the guild. He was furious, especially seeing how the old man had disappeared straight after his crappy announcement. Laxus couldn't even get a scent of him.

Taking a deep breath, he grunted at the pain his lungs felt. Taking in that much of the antimagic particles, though stupid and painful, had been worth it. He'd managed to protect his team, which was all that mattered. Though now he'd have to go and train to strengthen his lungs, just so he could breathe without being in pain. Wendy had managed to heal the majority of the damage to the inside of his lungs, he just had to figure out the rest. With the guild being disbanded, he could focus his anger into his training. Starting by walking as far from Magnolia as possible.

Tightening the drawstrings of his knapsack and throwing it over his shoulder, he walked out of his house and locked it up. For a moment, he paused and stared out towards the place that had once been occupied by the guildhall, which was now a massive crater of rocks and dirt.

He'd specifically chosen this house because it was isolated, being out in the middle of the woods, but also because he had a clear view of the guild from it. He had been watching over it constantly, though he'd never admit to anyone that was the reason he'd bought it.

Slipping his keys into his pocket, he began the walk down the forest trail towards town. He'd decided to help in his recovery he wouldn't use his lightning teleportation for a while, and would instead walk everywhere till he could go a distance without gasping.

Though he was angry at Gramps' decision, and didn't understand it at all, he knew Fairy Tail would return. If there was one thing Laxus knew, it was that Gramps loved his brats far too much to abandon them forever like this. He'd be back, and when he returned, Laxus would as well. Only, much stronger than now.

As he entered the town, he pulled the hood of his travelling cloak up over his head, shadowing his face so no one would instantly recognise him. It had been a difficult decision, but he'd chosen to leave the Thunder Legion here. Unlike last time, he'd stay in touch via lacrima, but he knew he needed to train alone without his unintentionally overbearing teammates over his shoulder every waking minute.

It was as he was walking down the high street that he smelt something familiar; lilies and… pine? Curious, he turned and started down the canal path, following the strengthening scent as it mixed with salt and blood. Speeding up he turned a corner and looked up towards the origins of the smell. From an open window, he saw a familiar head of blonde hair, and could hear her hoarse breathes as she slept.

'Blondie…' He muttered, approaching the building and looking up, before jumping, grabbing hold of one of the brackets holding the drain pipe to the wall, and pulling himself into her room through the large window; careful not to hurt the blonde.

Peering around the room, he shivered beneath his cloak at the temperature, before turning to sort out the sleeping woman. Reaching out, he placed her keys on the bedside table and removed an illiterate, crumpled letter from beside her, before gently lifting her into his arms. Her head lolled against his chest, and she squirmed slightly to adjust in his grip.

Tear stains marred her cheeks, and a trail of dried blood ran down the inside of her wrist from her tightly closed fist. Shaking his head, he nudged back the thick duvet before carefully placing her on the bed. Shutting the window and locking it in place, he searched for the thermostat and turned up the heating to max.

'Stupid blonde, trying to freeze herself to death.' He said, finding her bathroom and medical supplies, before approaching the prone woman. Kneeling beside her, he slowly pried open her fist, frowning as he saw a broken key digging into her palm. Glancing at the gate keys on her table, he scowled, before carefully placing the snapped key beside the others, and gently cleaning out her cut up hand with an antiseptic wipe.

Noticing a couple of the puncture wounds still bleeding, he carefully placed a dressing over her palm, securing it with medical tape, before wrapping it with a bandage and loosely tying it off. He shook his head again, before turning to pack away the medical supplies.

'Natsu… Acky… don't go…' Laxus turned to face the blonde with a frown, not truly understanding what was going on in the blondes mind as she turned away and hunched up under the blankets. Taking another deep breath, he smelt the ashy scent associated with the fire dragon slayer, and picked up the atrociously written note.

After a few minutes of squinting, he managed to decipher it.

'Tch. Damn flamebrain couldn't even say goodbye to your face huh blondie?' He said quietly, placing the letter back on the table before standing over the blonde woman. He didn't know much about her, but even he knew she didn't like being alone.

Sighing, he rummaged around in the knapsack he'd dropped by her bed before pulling out the spare communication lacrima he'd planned on leaving with Bix on his way past his place. Walking over to her desk, he found a blank piece of paper and wrote a quick note, leaving the lacrima on top of the paper.

Approaching the bed once more, he stared down at her as she slept. She looked different from normal… sadder. Though it could just be the tear stains he'd never seen on her, for some reason he felt it ran deeper. Glancing at the broken key once again, he sighed, shaking his head before grabbing his knapsack and walking towards the front door. He didn't worry too much about locking it, after all this building had a key code entry at the bottom floor, and he'd snapped the window lock in place when he'd shut it.

As he stood out on the street, he peered up at the window with a frown.

'Look after yourself blondie.' He muttered, before once more covering his head with his hood, and walking away from Magnolia.

Lucy groaned, feeling a stinging sensation in her palm, and blinked herself awake, rubbing away the sleep from her eyes with a bandaged hand…

She was wide awake all of a sudden, searching frantically for Aquarius's key across her bed, before noticing it on the bedside table. Grabbing it, she sighed in relief, before frowning at the locked window, warm room and her treated wound.

Could… no. Natsu was awful at bandaging injuries, and he would have stayed in her bed with the window wide open. He knew how his stupidly high body temperature made her feel when they slept, so always left the window open for her.

Getting out of bed, she noticed something on her desk. Slowly, she padded her way across the room and picked up a dull, yellow communications lacrima with a frown, before reading the letter beneath it:

Found your window open and your freezing ass as I was walking past. Don't know what's wrong, but drop me a call if you need. Look after yourself.

L

The handwriting was familiar somehow, the lines thick and bold, but clear and precise. It could have been Levy, but the girls' handwriting was more like calligraphy than the roughly scratched out markings on the sheet before her. Loke would have no need to leave her a lacrima, he could always just appear, and Laki had left the guild hours ago. Lisanna could have come in, Mira had a key after all, but similarly to Levy Lisanna's handwriting was more cursive. Besides, for some reason she always signed off with a paw print beside her initial.

It was as Lucy glared at the signed "L", she remembered where she'd seen it before. Every time she was handed a bill by Master Makarov for more damage incurred by Team Natsu, she saw the secondary signature. Laxus.

Surprised, she carefully lowered the letter to the table, staring down at the lacrima in her other hand. It was a compact lacrima, specially made to only connect to its partner lacrima, or another compact lacrima. Lucy had always considered getting one for her and Erza, but they were too expensive for her after she'd payed her rent out of the meagre earnings Team Natsu actually managed to keep.

Glancing at the broken key held in the hand that had picked up the letter, she smiled slightly.

'Guess I should thank him…' She muttered, lifting the lacrima so it was level with her face, and pumping a pulse of magic into the small orb. It glowed momentarily, yellow sparks appearing on the inside, before a crackling noise was heard and Laxus's face appeared inside the lacrima.

'Sup blondie.' Lucy blinked, noticing he was walking beneath a group of trees.

'Um… hey Laxus. Just wanted to thank you… for treating my hand and everything…'

'No worries. Y'alright?' Lucy nodded, forcing a smile on her face.

'If course I'm alright! Everything's fine.' Laxus scowled at her through the screen before responding.

'Don't bullshit a bullshitter blondie. What's up with you? Don't even try with the fake smile again, just pissing me off.' Lucy blinked in shock, licking her lips and opening and closing her mouth, trying to think of an excuse. Laxus sighed, running a hand through his hair. 'Look, if you don't wanna talk about it now, fine. But don't lie to me, or yourself. Got it?' Lucy nodded, refusing to meet his gaze. Laxus suddenly groaned, clenching his jaw.

'What's wrong?' Lucy's eyes snapped back to the lacrima as she heard what sounded like a groan of pain.

'Nothing, just getting used to breathing all over again. Look, I know flamebrain left you high and dry. I know in your sleep you ask for Acky whoever the heck that is, and I know one of your keys is broken.' Lucy felt as though all the blood had drained from her face as he spoke. She hadn't wanted anyone to know… 'I don't get it, but it's upset you. Look, I know it's gonna be hard, with the guild and everything going to shit but… if you need to talk drop me a call, got it? That's an order blondie. I'm still the next guildmaster for Fairy Tail.' She felt like she was being scolded, but knew he was right.

'I'll… I'll try. I… just wanted to thank you.'

'Yeah, yeah. Look, I've gotta go. I'm shit at this talking crap. I meant what I said though blondie. Call me if you need someone to talk to or whatever. Okay?' Lucy nodded slightly, making the man grin through the screen. 'Good. Now go have a shower, clean yourself up, and sort whatever's in your head out. You look like crap when you cry.' Lucy glared at him, getting ready to retaliate, before he hung up, the echo of his laughter fading as the golden light from the lacrima died out.

Carefully, she placed the lacrima on her desk, frowning.

'So. Laxus huh? Didn't expect him to do anything so… nice?' Lucy looked back down at Aquarius's key. 'Why'd you make me leave you Acky? I could have thought of something else if you'd given me time… why'd you let me destroy you?' Lucy was too empty to cry anymore. Too tired to grieve. Too broken to care.

Walking over to her keychain, she slipped the broken key back onto the ring, beside Cancer and Capricorn. If there was one thing Laxus was right about, she really did need a shower.

Lucy stared at herself in the mirror, her hair dripping wet as she wiped away the condensation form the looking glass. Her body was bruised almost everywhere, and it ached every time she stretched her muscles. However, her eyes were glued to the tattoo that spread across her collar bones.

Slowly, she raised a hand to touch the marking, tracing the thick black line, before watching it fade away.

'Aquarius…' She took a deep breathe before turning and wrapping her body in a towel. She thought she'd imagined the tattoo when it had first appeared during her fight with Jackal, but seeing it again gave her some form of comfort.

Entering her living area, she stared at her desk and the lacrima sitting proudly on the Cherrywood piece of furniture. Slowly, she walked across the room and sat at the desk, before pulling out a fresh piece of paper and a pen to write the hardest letter she'd had to write for some time.

Mum.

I've done something unforgivable as a person and as a celestial mage. I know you'd be ashamed of me. But nothing you could say if you were here, would make me feel any worse than what I've already said to myself. Aquarius… she's gone Mum. I sacrificed her to save my guild. I lost one of my dearest friends, because I wasn't strong enough. I tried summoning her, over and over again… but she's truly gone.

I don't get it. Why did this have to happen to us? Fairy Tail has never deserved what happened. Why is it always us that suffers? Now the guild's been disbanded, I'm alone again. Natsu and Happy have left, Gray has disappeared and Juvia left to follow him. Erza has gone to try and find Jellal… everyone has dispersed, either to go train or join another guild. Why do the people I love always leave?

I'm sorry Mum. Please forgive me. I couldn't hate myself more than I already do for breaking my promise to you. I swore I'd always love and care for my spirits; instead I allowed her to die. I broke her key. I know she's alive still… but I'm never going to see her again. It hurts Mum, it hurts so much…

Forgive me.

Lucy

She forced herself to hold back the tears, clenching her jaw angrily.

'Come on Lucy, crying isn't going to do anything.' Turning her head slightly, a picture caught her eye. It was one form when they'd visited the celestial realm before the GMG. Levy had brought a camera, and took a photo of her with all her spirits. There, in the background scowling with crossed arms was Aquarius.

Picking up the photo, she stared at the mermaid's expression, her free hand closing into a fist.

'Why did you tell me to do it? Why Acky? I loved you so much and you just had to… I know you're not dead but I can never see you again… I want you to wash me away, I want you to tell me I have no boyfriend… I need you. Why did you go away?' Angrily slamming the picture down, she stormed across the room and got dressed, pulling on her training gear before clipping her belt around her waist.

In minutes, she was outside, tying her hair back tightly as she walked towards Magnolia forest; already reaching for one of her keys.

As soon as she found a decent sized clearing, she called out for him, and cut him off before he could say a word.

'I want to train. I need to get stronger.' Capricorn stared at the fire blazing in his mistress's eyes. He knew she was angry and hurt, grieving for the water spirit. Yet he also knew that punching something was one of the best ways to get rid of unwanted emotions. As such, for the next six hours, he had her running laps around the forest, punching and kicking trees and sparring with him. By the end, she was even more bruised and cut up than when she'd began, but her exhaustion seemed to quell her need for self-pain for now.

'Thanks Capricorn. You can go now.' As he bowed to her and started to leave the human realm, he heard her call his name.

'Yes, Lucy-sama?' She seemed to hesitate, not meeting his eyes before answering.

'Tell her I said hello… and that I miss her.' He smiled sadly, bowing his head wordlessly before disappearing in a shower of gold light.

As he arrived in the celestial realm, he was immediately accosted by Aquarius.

'Is she okay? Is she eating properly? If she's not you better have given her a kick from me!' Capricorn stared at the scowling spirit, seeing past the angry front to the worried woman.

'Lucy-sama is doing as well as can be expected. She wished to train today.' He began to walk away, before calling out without looking at her. 'She said she misses you.' He heard her breath hitch before he walked away, allowing the mermaid her pride as he ignored her tears.

Every day, she'd summoned Capricorn. Every day for the past three weeks, she'd kicked and punched trees, ran laps, climbed trees, meditated for hours on end and practiced casting Urano Metria till her accuracy with the ancient spell was near perfect.

Yet still, she was angry. Angry at herself for what she'd done, and angry at Aquarius for encouraging her, forcing her into a corner and performing that summoning. Deep down, she knew she was being silly, but the only way she got rid of her fury was when she was ploughing her fist into the bark of an oak tree till her knuckles bled.

She'd gone to a jewellers the week before, and had a plain gold chain made, long enough so that the celestial key was hidden between her breasts, and had the jeweller place a layer of gold over the jagged edge of the key so it would no longer stab her.

 _If I can get stronger… maybe I can get her back. I could fix her key if I have enough power… Have to get stronger…_ Her thoughts raged through her mind as her fists flew forwards, clutching the weights Virgo had fashioned for her. They were adjustable in weight, so as she got stronger they would get heavier. The improvement in her speed was obvious when sparring with Capricorn or Loke.

Though he disapproved of her overly intense training methods, Loke understood it was her way of coping. She blamed herself, and he'd rather take her anger out on a tree than on herself in a destructive way.

Lucy had just finished her laps, and sat herself down to start her meditation session with Capricorn. Increasing her magical containers was one of her key focuses as her body got stronger.

 _If I can do this… I can get her back. I have to get stronger._

Laxus sat beneath a waterfall, focusing his magic and taking calm, regulated breaths. He'd found the perfect place to train at the top of a mountain in the mountain range near Crocus. It wasn't freezing cold or icy like the Hakobe mountain ranges, and though the high altitude and lower oxygen levels up there made training harder, it was strengthening his lungs a lot faster.

For some reason, he constantly found his thoughts turning back to the blonde celestial mage. It confused him, but for some reason a part of himself despised seeing her face marred with tears. He was still puzzled about the broken gate key, not recognising the constellation on the handle at all, he wondered what had happened to it to make it break.

He'd had no contact form the celestial mage since she had first called him, and for some reason it worried him. Far more than it should. He didn't expect her to suddenly jump at the chance to talk to him, after all they weren't exactly close, just guildmates. Yet he'd hoped she would confide in him.

Trying to shake his thoughts of the blonde mage, he focused instead of the heavy weight of the water pounding on to his shoulders, and steadily reached out his hands before forming a ball of lightning in front of him. He focused on containing the lightning in the gap between his hands and preventing the electricity from surging up his soaked arms and electrocuting him. He knew that water was his weakness. It somehow managed to slightly nullify his resistance to electric shock, and had decided to counteract it by becoming used to the feeling and hopefully strengthening his body till it barely affected him.

'Laxus! I finally found you!' The voice distracted him enough that the lightning spread up his arms, shocking him and making him fall from the rock he'd been sitting on. Falling into the pool of water below, he quickly emerged and glared at who had disturbed him.

'First. What do you want?' Mavis giggled at the grumpy slayer, swinging her legs from the tree branch she'd been perched on.

'You're a hard man to find, Mister Dreyar.' Laxus scowled at her, swimming to the edge and pulling himself from the pool, before reaching for a towel and drying off his hair before letting it rest across his shoulders.

'Usually that's for a reason. What do you want First? I'm busy.'

'Oh I'm just checking in on everyone. The disbandment was hard on all of you, so I thought I'd have a look around for Makarov's "brats". Most of them are doing quite well, though still waiting for the call to return.' Laxus scowled as he looked up at the suddenly morose ghost.

'What's got you down then? Fairy Tail is resilient. They're patient.'

'There's one member I'm… concerned about.'

'Oh?' Mavis hummed as she nodded, folding her arms.

'Yes. She's training, which is brilliant, but… I know she's recovering from something worse than what happened with the guild. Losing someone is too painful. Especially when they hide it.' Laxus felt his gut wrench as an image of the blonde mage flashed in his mind.

'So? What d'you want me to do about it?' Mavis smiled, floating down from the tree branch to stand before him.

'Go back and help her. You already know who I'm talking about. If she continues as she is… I'm afraid she'll either hurt herself, or get hurt.'

'It's Lucy, isn't it?' Mavis nodded, sighing sadly.

'Yes. She lost more than just a home and a family after Tartaros. I want you to fix her, for Fairy Tail, can you do that?' Laxus looked away from the ghost, sighing as he ran a hand through his hair.

'You gonna tell me what this is all about First?' She giggled at his words and the scowl across his face.

'It's not up to me to do that. It's up to her. Now, if you start walking now you can get to her before she loses the temporary motivation she has that gets her out of bed every morning. She'll sink soon. It's already begun…' Mavis's eyes became clouded as she stared off into the distance.

'What do you mean?' Laxus turned to face where the ghost had been standing, only to find she'd disappeared. Swearing, he angrily pulled the towel from his neck and started towards the camp he'd set up in a clearing not far away.

'Damn ghosts, interfering with the living. Can't keep their damn noses out of everyone else's business.' He grumbled as he pulled on a shirt and threw his cloak over his shoulders. Packing up his tent, he pulled his communication lacrima out of his bag and sent a quick burst of magic into the small orb.

He started walking as he waited for an answer. As the crackling noise assaulted his ears, he prepared to rip into the blonde for whatever had cause Mavis to turn up, but rather than the blonde woman appearing before him, there was a pink haired… maid?

'Hey, who the fuck are you? Where's blondie?' The maid blinked, before answering, almost robotically.

'Hime is busy training. You must be Laxus. Why do you wish to talk with Hime?' Laxus realised the maid must be one of Lucy's spirits and growled in his throat in annoyance.

'Nothing. How's she doing?' For a moment, the emotionless woman seemed to drop her mask, and flinched, before regaining her impassiveness.

'Hime is training very hard. I shall tell her you called.'

'No, don't. I'll be in Magnolia in a week. Keep an eye on her till then.' The maid blinked, before nodding and hanging up. Laxus frowned at the conversation, becoming slightly more worried for the woman than before.

'Damn blondie.' He muttered, shouldering his knapsack and preparing for the long walk back to Magnolia.

 _It's useless… I'll never be strong enough to get her back… It's impossible._ Lucy thought, staring up at the ceiling from her bed. Loke had turned up an hour ago, asking her whether she'd be training today. Lucy didn't notice the worry that crossed his face when she'd grumbled out a short no, before turning away and huddling beneath her covers.

She'd realised yesterday as she was meditating. Nothing, no amount of strength or regret could undo what she'd done. She'd destroyed Aquarius's key. She'd trapped her in the celestial realm for eternity. She was no better than the scum who bought celestial keys to display on a shelf and show off their wealth.

She'd taken Aquarius's freedom. Now she'd never see her again, the only thing linking her to the spirit being the broken key and the tattoo that appeared when she was in contact with water. But that wasn't enough to assuage her guilt. Aquarius was a prisoner of the celestial realm forever, never to see the human world again.

'What have I done Mama? What have I done?' Her voice cracked as she whispered into the pillows. All she wanted was to stay where she was, to feel what Aquarius felt… imprisoned in her own home. Why should she see the outside world if Aquarius couldn't because of what she'd done to her? Why bother with strength if it could never bring back someone she'd lost?

'There's no point anymore. It's over. She's… gone. Forever.'

 **Two days later**

Laxus strolled into Magnolia, taking deep breaths of air. His lungs had repaired quite well in the mountains, and he was able to walk back to Magnolia in four days due to the fewer stops he'd had to make to catch his breath. He felt empowered. Never again would he take for granted the ability to just _breathe_.

Pulling the lacrima from his pocket, he connected to blondies, waiting for an answer. He smirked as she answered, and opened his mouth to talk to her, before freezing.

Her hair was ratty and greasy. Her eyes were half lidded and deep bags hung beneath her eyes.

'Fuck blondie! What happened?'

'Oh. Hi Laxus. What do you want?' Her voice was hoarse, and she just seemed… uninterested.

'I want you to get in the shower cause I'm going to be at your place in five minutes.'

'Don't bother. I don't want to see anyone. Leave me alone.' Laxus growled angrily at her words, tightening his grip on the small orb before snapping at her.

'Fuck that blondie. I'm coming over whether you like it or not, you hear me? Now get your skinny ass in the shower or when I get in I'll strip you down and put you in it myself.' Realising what he'd said, he almost bit off his tongue, but she didn't seem to care. All she did was sigh.

'Fine. I don't care. Do what you want.' Before he could snap at her again, she hung up. Laxus shoved the lacrima in his pocket and sped up as he walked towards the canal path.

He didn't like the look in her eyes, or the state of her. He knew the blonde liked presenting herself well in front of others, so even if she had to answer a lacrima she would look good.

'Why does that fucking ghost have to be right about everything?'

Lucy sat on the bed, holding the key in her lap and twirling it around in her fingers. She'd barely slept over the past few days, and had stopped any and all of her spirits from seeing her. She couldn't bear to see them. They made her remember what she'd done. If she let them be near her, she'd ruin their lives too. It was for them, she was protecting them… from her.

There was a banging on the door, and she slowly lifted her head to stare at it in a daze, before remembering Laxus was coming over. Slowly, she stood and walked across the room before opening the door. His fist was raised and ready to pound on the wooden barrier all over again, and he coughed before lowering his arm to his side.

Lucy turned without a word and walked back into her apartment, ignoring how his nose crumpled at the smell. She heard him follow her inside and close the door, before dropping his bag on the ground.

'Thought I told you to be in the shower blondie.'

'Whatever. There's no point.'

'Yeah there is, you stink and it smells like something died in here.' Lucy's breath caught in her throat, and she clutched the key tighter in her hand. Laxus noticed, and grabbed her wrist, turning her around to face him and ignoring how she didn't even fight against him.

'What's going on blondie? Spill it.' Lucy refused to look at him, staring at the ground instead. 'You either tell me or I'm going to drag you outside and throw you in the canal. Mavis knows it'd make you smell better.' Still not garnering a reaction from the blonde, he looked around the room and saw her keys on her writing desk, gathering a thin layer of dust.

'Or I could get Loke to pop out and tell me.' Her head snapped around and she glared at him, before easily ripping her hand from his grip.

'No. They can't be near me. It's not safe for them.' Laxus frowned, folding his arms across his chest. Everyone knew how much she adored her spirits and would never hurt them, including him.

'Fancy explaining why blondie?' She shook her head, walking away to sit on the edge of her messy bed. 'Well, Loke it is then. Laxus made a move towards the desk, before her scream stopped him in his tracks.

'No! I'll ruin their lives! I'll break their keys and trap them and I can't… I can't do it again…' She'd collapsed on the ground, rocking back and forth, tears dropping to the ground as she clutched her hands to her chest.

'Blondie –' Laxus moved to crouch beside her, before lifting her and sitting down on the bed with her in his lap. 'Come on, spill it.' For a moment, she just sobbed in his arms, but he waited for her, gently rubbing his hand up and down her back.

'I… I killed her. I trapped her in the celestial realm forever… and I'll never see her again. I don't deserve to be called a celestial mage. I failed. I'm a monster.'

'Who'd you trap blondie?'

'A-Aquarius. When everyone was trapped in Tartaros, I had to fight Jackal. We were losing, and… she said there was a way to beat him. She told me to summon the Spirit King… but the price was one gold key of a spirit I love and trust. She… she told me to use hers, to save everyone. Now… now she'd gone and Fairy Tail's gone and I'm alone all over again.' Her body shook, before her arms dropped to her sides and the broken key Laxus had seen that night only a month ago fell to the floor with a clatter.

'Blondie. That's the stupidest shit I've ever heard.' She froze, before looking up at him, eyes wide and tearful. 'Sounds to me like this spirit of yours? She knew what she was doing. She volunteered, knowing the price. D'you think she didn't realise she'd be staying in the celestial plane? She cared more about your life than anything else, and you sitting here moping about as though you've fucking killed her is disrespectful. What would she say to you right now if she could be here? Huh? Go on, tell me what she'd say.' Lucy blinked, frowning slightly before looking down at her hands.

'She'd… she'd tell me I'm a spoilt brat, just like always, and wash me away with a giant wave, before telling me to go get a boyfriend and grow up.' Laxus smirked at her words.

'Exactly. She knew exactly what she was doing. Have you thought to ask your spirits what she thinks of you treating yourself like this? Guilt tripping your way to insanity? She's probably more pissed than anything right?' Lucy hesitated, before nodding and dropping her head to lean against his chest.

'Look, she's gone. Yeah, it sucks and it hurts right now, but sitting here every day throwing yourself a pity party is not the way to deal with it. You loved her, right?' Again, she nodded, sniffling slightly as fresh tears fell from her face. 'Well she probably loved you too if she told you to destroy her key to save yourself and your family. So quit crying like a baby and take this like a Fairy Tail member should do. Go write her a letter or something and get that annoying ass lion to give it to her, and you better say sorry for acting like a moron. Mavis interrupted my training to come sort out your head.' Lucy laughed lightly, and to Laxus at that moment, it was the only sound he wanted to hear.

'Thanks Laxus… sorry for the trouble.'

'Ah it's no problem blondie. Now go have a shower. You really do stink, I wasn't lying.'

'Okay.' She slipped from his grasp, bending down to pick up the key, before walking towards the shower. Laxus let out a deep sigh of relief, before turning to open up the window to air out the apartment.

'Right, let's see what food she's got in.'

Lucy stood staring at her reflection, watching as a drop of water slipped down the mirror on a jagged pathway. It had been hard to listen to Laxus, but she knew he was right. Aquarius was gone, but she wasn't dead, and she'd be furious if she could see Lucy right now.

Reaching up to touch the tattoo, she smiled slightly.

'Sorry Acky. Sorry for being a spoilt brat. I know I'll see you again one day, till then, I'll become someone you can be proud of, like Mama.' Reaching for the broken key, she placed it on the golden chain around her neck once more before quickly throwing on some clothes and going out to see what Laxus was up to.

Opening the bathroom door, she was surprised to smell food cooking, and walked over to the kitchen to see the gigantic dragon slayer frying up a couple of omelettes.

'Didn't take you for a cook.' She said, walking over to a cupboard and pulling out two plates. Laxus turned to look at her, blinking at the transformation a shower could make. She looked refreshed, and seemed a little bit lighter.

'What? You think I just suck on a power outlet every day?' She giggled as she rummaged through a drawer for knives and forks.

'Now that's something I'd pay to see.'

'You and everyone blondie, you and everyone.' Laxus smirked as he dished up the omelettes, before grabbing both plates and taking them over to the table before she could take them for him. 'I got this. Sit and eat, I'll clean up.'

Lucy glared, before sighing and sitting down. She knew she wouldn't win against him.

As she ate the omelette, relishing in the taste, she knew she hadn't gotten over losing Aquarius. She knew it would be hanging over her head for some time to come, but Laxus had somehow, in his own weird, pragmatic way had given her the kick up the ass she needed. She was grieving the loss of her friend, and blamed herself. That feeling would go with time, but Laxus had made her realise she didn't need to punish herself for it.

She adored and missed Aquarius, more than anything. But she'd finally accepted that life would go on without her, however difficult and painful. But the spirit would always be there, watching over her.

Reaching up to touch her collarbone and fiddle with the gold chain, she smiled as she peered at Laxus scoffing down his omelette.

'Thanks Laxus.'


End file.
